Field
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to the field of wireless networking. In particular, various embodiments relate to a wireless network with automatically deployed wireless access point (AP).
Description of the Related Art
Wireless access points (APs) are deployed to cover public areas, offices and families so that Wi-Fi-enabled devices may be connected to a private network or the Internet through a wireless network. When a large number of APs are deployed in an enterprise network, the wireless APs are connected to a wireless access point controller (AC) and are managed by the AC. Usually, an AP has the physical capacity to handle 2048 media access control (MAC) addresses. However, a wireless AP is a shared medium and acts as a wireless hub and the performance of each client connected to the AP decreases as the number of clients on the AP increases. Generally, the maximum number of clients that can associate with the AP may be several dozen based on the types of clients. When deploying a wireless network within a venue in which a large number users may present (e.g., as an airport, a university, a stadium, a hospital, an office building or an enterprise campus) one of the biggest challenges is inadequate coverage that will ultimately lead to poor application performance. Some wireless network planning tools, such as Fortinet's FortiPlanner software, have been introduced to facilitate planning of wireless networks. The planning tools may import a floor-plan of a building, draw in obstructions, select the type of APs and automatically calculate the number and placement of APs. The tools may use sophisticated signal propagation ray tracing algorithms to estimate signal loss and bounce based on objects that can cause radio frequency interference, such as walls, windows and elevator shafts. The planning tools may select various deployment scenarios such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), high priority data or normal, to ensure adequate wireless Local Area Network (LAN) coverage and prepare a plan including the number and placement of APs within the venue at issue.
FIG. 1 shows a typical wireless network system 100. The wireless network system 100 includes multiple fixed access point (APs) 110a-e that are mounted at different locations within a building. Each AP 110a-e can provide a WiFi connection for WiFi clients/users 120 that are within its coverage. WiFi clients 120 may access a private or public network, such as the Internet 140 through the APs. APs 110a-e may be connected to an access point controller (AC) 130 through cables. AC 130 may push AP profiles to APs 110a-e and manage the wireless connectivity of APs 110a-e so that a WiFi client may roam between APs 110a-e and network traffic of nearby APs may be load-balanced by AC 130. For example, at an airport terminal where 100 WiFi clients may present, APs 110a-c may be deployed on the ceiling of the terminal. When multiple WiFi clients 120 are within the coverage areas of APs 110a-c, traffic associated with WiFi clients 120 may be distributed among APs 110a-c by AC 130 based on the signal strengths and/or the network speed provided to the WiFi clients. When one of the APs (e.g., AP 110a) reaches its maximum throughput, a connection request to AP 110a from a new WiFi client may be transferred to a nearby AP, such as AP 110b, which still has sufficient capacity to provide adequate WiFi service.
For economic reasons, APs that are deployed within a venue are limited to a reasonable number based on estimates regarding the number of wireless users that may be present at any given time. Therefore, the number of users that may be served by the wireless network is limited. When the number of users exceeds the maximum number of users that can be served by one or more APs, network congestion occurs and APs cannot provide WiFi service to some users. Further, APs may fail to provide WiFi service for other reasons, such as AP failures, power failures, cable failures and the like. It is time consuming to install new APs. Therefore, there is a need for an automatically deployed wireless network that can meet the needs of WiFi users and provide more stable and flexible services to the users.